


57. There's Enough Room For Both Of Us

by Guardian_Rose



Series: 100 Ways To Say I Love You [57]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 12:18:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18660304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_Rose/pseuds/Guardian_Rose
Summary: Alec hangs back. Watching Magnus smile, true but tired. Cataloguing the changes since Alicante: his clothes are charred in places, his hair wilting a little from its styled height, his eye glamour peeling away in small flecks around the iris.When the portal snaps closed and Magnus stumbles, glamour falling at the same time, Alec is there to catch him.





	57. There's Enough Room For Both Of Us

The wait is hell. There’s more waiting than he knows what to do with inbetween finding leads and following them, and running into dead ends. There’s waiting for someone to call him back. Waiting to for Lorenzo to be willing to talk. Waiting for sleep to come when Jace and Isabelle force him to rest (it’s fitful when it arrives, driven by terrors and anxiety-fevered dreams) (he stops trying to sleep). Unsurprisingly, he runs out of things to fill the waits with. He reads through every section of every book that seems relevant, he researches other areas just on the hope they somehow link. He talks to Catarina, catches her up on every update, tries to listen to her advice. Tries to follow it. He even cleans all of Magnus’ apartment, righting what Lorenzo had set wrong. Preparing for the wedding is a small distraction but after trying to make the first few decisions on his own he finds that it feels  _ wrong _ to be doing it all without Magnus. Without the man who’d thrown parties and galas and events for hundreds of years. Who’d probably thrown a wedding or two of his own, even if he was never the one walking down the aisle. 

 

But he knows, reminds himself every time he finds himself thinking his way into despair and wallowing, that Magnus is in  _ literal hell _ and, as such, he could get through this easily in comparison. Surely, after all, the waiting will pay off eventually. It has to. 

 

Eventually, it does. 

 

Brother Zachariah (‘Jem’ is the name Magnus will call him later, an apologised for slip-up from shock) is the one to finally make some headway. Adding his two cents to the pot they’ve all been staring into for the past few weeks. A month, maybe. Alec can’t be sure. After the first few days, it all started to blur together as ‘too long’. They go. They fight. They don’t kiss or hug or do more than shed some tears whilst looking at each other from opposite ends of the room as the fight begins anew. They portal home. To the loft, where Magnus creates one more portal for the night, a strain on his already exhausted magic, to send the others back to the Institute with promises to catch them up tomorrow. Alec hangs back. Watching Magnus smile, true but tired. Cataloguing the changes since Alicante: his clothes are charred in places, his hair wilting a little from its styled height, his eye glamour peeling away in small flecks around the iris. 

 

When the portal snaps closed and Magnus stumbles, glamour falling at the same time, Alec is there to catch him, to lead him to the sofa and to lean their heads together. Sharing the same air. Warm and together. Blessedly together. Magnus breathes in deeply, one hand cautiously sliding up the back of Alec’s neck as if he were afraid Alec would flicker out and prove himself to be nought but an illusion. When Alec hides his falling tears in Magnus’ neck and shoulder, Magnus seems to finally accept reality. The hand on Alec’s neck tangles in his hair whilst the other stays clasped in both of Alec’s. Their silver rings catching together. Magnus’ sob tore at Alec’s heart, trapped the breath in his lungs, eased a knot in his soul. 

 

It seemed like hours later before they could bear to be far apart enough to not be touching. The incessant need for physical reassurement slowly dispersing after they’d stayed curled against and around each other for so long. Talking, holding, kissing, crying. Healing. But the pain was ebbing away, or at least to the back of their minds, enough for Magnus to have the energy to go and shower. Alec watched him go, thought of joining him (undoubtedly, he’d need to shower too after Edom, before sleeping) but Magnus was so quiet still, looking around with a sense of amazement and what he’d told Alec was guilt. Guilt for many things, things they were going to work on. 

 

Magnus’ return was quick, hair damp and eyes wide, verging on frantic, as he took in Alec still sitting on the couch. He was still tying off his robe. He seemed to realise this as he leant up against the wall, lazily trailing his gaze around the living room before settling back on Alec with a raised eyebrow. Alec couldn’t help smiling.

 

“What?” He asked when Magnus still didn’t walk back over.

 

“You seem to have moved in whilst I was away,” Magnus said, a tremor of delight in his flippant tone, “lots of books around I don’t remember owning. Jackets and terrible jumpers too. Few extra weapons to top it off.”

 

Alec hummed, nodding along. “Don’t forget the toothbrush.”

 

Magnus’ laugh was like the sun after an endless storm. Bright and warm and something to revel in. “Alexander, I think your toothbrush has been here much longer than half your wardrobe.”

 

“Well, I had this thought,” Alec said, walking to stand in front of his fiancee, tugging on the tied belt of the robe, “there’s enough room for both of us here. Not so much at the Institute.”

 

Now it was Magnus’ turn to nod, grinning up at him with unbridled delight as he wrapped his arms around Alec’s shoulders. “I wholeheartedly agree with this thought of yours.”

 

“Oh good,” Alec said on a laugh just before leaning in those last few inches, “‘cause I’d hate to have to move out again so soon before the wedding.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So. I cried. I will admit that, happily. I have a lot of feelings about this show, not all have been good lately but this episode REALLY pulled it back for me. So, yay! This series will continue even after the show, because it's been going for years now (if you've been here from roughly the start, come talk to me! on tumblr on the link below or in the comments!) (if you're new? still feel free to come talk to me! say hi, it'd be cool to hear from you guys). 
> 
> As usual, thank you all for reading <3
> 
> Comments welcome, prompts too (no NSFW).
> 
> Come and find me for fics and more writing at [TheWordForest](https://thewordforest.tumblr.com/)


End file.
